


A Countryside Vacation

by Rei382



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Established Relationship, Even More Fluff, Fluff, M/M, More Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29432301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rei382/pseuds/Rei382
Summary: Two months after their wedding, Alphonse and Winry finally have the time to go on their honeymoon. Ed and Roy go to their house in Resenbool to take care of their animals while they are gone.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric/Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45
Collections: RoyEd Valentine Gift Exchange 2021





	A Countryside Vacation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Perilous_Grey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Perilous_Grey/gifts).



> Ahh happy Valentine's Day [Perilous Grey!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Perilous_Grey)
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this little piece I wrote for you <3 you wanted tooth rotting fluff and I hope I delivered... this is probably the most fluffy thing I've ever written! Also you wanted accidental child acquisition... I hope you will like my take on it ^^"

Ed had forgotten how much he loved the air in Resenbool. At least, until the train he and Roy had just arrived on had driven away and he took a deep breath, free of the chemicals and smoke that was an inseparable part of Central City’s air. The clean air felt like a cleanse to his lungs. The smell of fresh grass and sun and sheep shit of Resenbool was the smell of  _ home _ , and Ed had missed it almost as much as he missed his brother.

“It’s a nice change, isn’t it?” he commented, and looked sideways at his companion with a smile.

Roy looked around them before letting his eyes rest on Ed. “It is. How long had it been since I was last here?”

Ed thought for a second. “The only time I can think of was when you came to recruit me and Al when I was like, eleven,” he smiled in amusement. He would never forget it. That meeting with Roy was pretty much the most important encounter of his life: it was the one that transformed him from the hopeless kid who had lost everything he ever cared about into an ambitious teen who would do everything in his power – and more – to help restore what he’d lost. Al had said on a few occasions that he thought that it was at that encounter that Ed’s years’ long crush on Roy had started; a theory Ed had insisted was absolutely wrong. “Which means it was thirteen years ago.”

“Huh,” Roy stretched his back. Ed fought his laugh; Roy really hated it when Ed made fun of his age. “I thought it was longer.”

But sometimes he said things that made it impossible to resist. “That’s because you’re so old that time doesn’t matter.”

Roy frowned at him. “I can wait here for the next train back to Central you know.”

“Pfft, no you won’t. You know I can’t help it if you set me up for making fun of you,” he said, and then held on Roy’s arm as he pulled himself up to kiss his lips shortly. “I love you. And you promised me you’d be here with me. I don’t want to be stuck here alone.”

“You won’t be alone. You’ll have a cat to keep you company,” Roy said bitterly.

Right. That was the main reason that they had travelled all the way from Central back to Ed’s childhood town. Alphonse and Winry had finally had the time to go on their honeymoon, almost two months after their wedding had already taken place. When he called to tell Ed about his plan, he had casually mentioned that he’d need someone to look after his animals; and before Ed’s brain had the chance to realize that it meant taking care of cats and horses and sheep for a whole week, his impulsive side thought about the opportunity to drag Roy out of the city for a nice countryside vacation, and he’d volunteered. He regretted it ever since he heard that Alphonse’s cat – which he knew to be just one, single grown cat, gave birth to a litter.

“ _ Five _ cats. And they are pretty much the reason I  _ don’t _ want to be alone in there. Besides,” he said with a smirk. “The next train doesn’t come before tomorrow. I don’t think you really have much choice, Mustang. You’re stuck with me. Old jokes and all.”

“Mustang _ , _ huh?” Ed saw a smile flickering on Roy’s lips. “Well, I suppose you are right,  _ Elric _ . I will keep you company so the mean kittens won’t eat you.”

“Well, they might,” Ed replied - only half jokingly. A movement in the horizon caught his attention, and he turned his stare from his lover towards the small dot that gradually grew into the figure of a person riding on a brown horse, and a second, gray horse walking on his own, tied to the first horse with a rope. A moment later and the figure on the horse was recognizable.

“Good, Al’s finally here,” Ed commented. Despite his impatient words he was really happy to see him. It had been too long since the last time they saw each other. With the travel distance being what it was, Ed being busy with his flourishing relationship with Roy and his job as a librarian at Central’s university where he also worked on getting some official education; and on the other hand, Alphonse being busy with all his post-wedding arrangement, they didn’t find the time to meet each other for the past couple of months. The last time they saw each other was at the wedding.

They wouldn’t have too long this time, either, but Ed expected that maybe after Al and Winry returned from their honeymoon he could steal a few days to stay with them before returning to his life in Central City. He had yet to discuss this with Roy, but he saw no reason that it’d be an issue, and he had the whole week to bring it up.

“I am not sure why, but I did not expect our ‘ride’ to be a horse,” Roy said, and Ed glanced at him to see that he was looking at the approaching Al.

“Why not? It’s a long walk, and it’s not like it’s worthwhile to keep a car here. Horse is a much better choice.” He then thought for a second, remembering that Roy was, and had always been, a city boy. “You…  _ can _ ride a horse, right?”

“Of course I do!” Roy replied defensively.

“Alright, I was just asking,” Ed shrugged.

It was at that moment exactly that Al was at hearing range, and Ed let go of whether Roy could or could not ride a horse in favor of waving at his brother. His chest filled with warmth when he saw how good he looked: almost  _ shining _ with happiness. That was enough to make Ed happy, too.

“Hi Brother! General Mustang!” Alphonse slowed down for the last few meters, then pulled in the reins to make his horse stop. It neighed, and so did the second horse who stopped right next to it. Al jumped off the horse and walked over to give Ed a warm hug. “I missed you,” he said.

Ed’s smile broadened as he returned his brother’s hug. “I did, too.”

They held each other for a short moment before Al broke from him and turned to Roy and gave him a hug, as well – although shorter, and, at least from what Ed saw, a little bit awkward. But it was alright: he and Roy hadn’t been dating for that long, and until the wedding their greeting was a simple handshake. An awkward hug was a progress.

Alphonse took a step back and looked at them with a broad smile. “How was your ride?”

“Alright, I guess,” Ed replied. “I’m not used to those trains anymore.”

Al laughed at that. “Well, when we get home you can sit in an actual comfortable chair.”

“That and a cup of a decent coffee will be much appreciated, Alphonse,” Roy said.

“Don’t worry about it, Roy. Winry’s supposed to already boil some water for you two.”

“ _ Nice _ ,” Ed said appreciatively, and then looked at the horses. “Let’s get on then. I’m gonna ride with Roy, alright?”

“Of course,” Al replied, and gestured at the gray horse, who just at that moment lowered its head to eat the grass around the platform. “Take Eve, she’s stronger. Adam and I will take care of your luggage.” He proceeded to take the luggage that Roy had placed on the platform to the horse.

“Need any help?” Ed suggested, but Al just shook his head.

“Nuh.” He took a rope that was connected to the horse’s saddle and threw the bag over on its back to tie it to it. “You can go ahead. I’m sure I can ride faster than you anyway.”

“Don’t be an asshole, Al,” Ed said, but went to the second horse anyway. “Lets go, Roy.”

Roy walked over and placed his hands on the saddle. Ed watched him. He could almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he thought. Ed’s eyebrow arched up, but he waited. He kept watching as Roy attempted to climb; an attempt that resulted in the horse neighing loudly and kicking. Roy took a startled step back; as a result, both Ed and Al laughed loudly.

Ed approached the horse and placed a hand on it to calm it down. “I think,” he said, trying to get a hold on himself, “that maybe I should control the horse.”

“I think that might be a good idea, Brother,” Al said.

Roy pouted. “Yes, maybe.”

Ed couldn’t help but laugh again. He pulled himself onto the horse, now that it was calm again, and made space for Roy before reaching for him. It took a few tries but eventually Roy climbed onto the horse and sat behind Ed. The horse wasn’t happy about it, Ed could tell, but it didn’t oppose, which was good enough.

“Hold on to me,” Ed advised, and he felt Roy’s arms wrap around him and his chest resting against Ed’s back. It felt nice. He allowed himself to enjoy the feeling for a short moment before he tightened his hold on the reins and turned to Al. “I’ll see you at your home.”

“Good luck you two,” Alphonse was clearly amused by how Roy was clinging to Ed.

Roy probably wasn’t happy about it, but he only thanked Al. Ed pulled in the reins and rode in the direction of what used to be the Rockbell residence – and since Al and Win’s wedding had become the Elric-Rockbell residence. He couldn’t wait to see Winry and old Den.

The first day at Edward’s hometown went by well enough, by Roy’s standards. True, he was tired from the long train ride, and his back hurt from the prolonged sitting and from the horse riding, but the younger Elric and his new wife were kind to him and accepted him in like their own family. He even managed by the end of the coffee that Winry had prepared for him and for Ed to forget the hurt his pride had suffered when he proved that he, in fact, could not ride a horse. He had a feeling that Ed wouldn’t let him live it down, but at least Alphonse – and Winry, who had a good laugh at it too – did let it go after telling the story of the horse almost kicking him and him practically clinging to Ed once.

When the happy couple left in the following morning, the house was left to himself and to Ed – and to the five cats that roamed around. As fit for a countryside house with a farm, it was much bigger than any house Roy had owned before: but was also much less modern. With his Central City house Roy was used to have mostly perfectly running electricity, and other benefits of the modern world, such as a water heater that could work inside the house and not a large bath that was placed in a shed in the yard; using it was certainly an interesting experience that Roy wasn’t sure he could last with for longer than the assigned week. How Alphonse and Winry could live like that he wasn’t sure: and Ed laughed at him when he brought it up when they laid together in the bed in the guest room the first night.

But other than the slight discomforts that came along with being far from civilization, Roy found that he enjoyed the farm life. It was so much quieter than the city, or anywhere else Roy had lived before, except for the calls of the roosters in the morning and the baaing of the sheep. In a way, and despite knowing that there were other houses in the area, the vast space made him feel like he and Ed were the only humans in the world.

Even though Edward claimed that he didn’t mind them that much, and indeed, he spent the evenings with either Roy or a cat in his lap (Den was too large to do so, and preferred his pillow by the fire), he still complained about them constantly. Cats were cats, after all, and they bit without any warning, and climbed on the tables and counters and stole food from their plates. They had the tendency to demand attention at night, which resulted, at first, with several times of waking up startled by little biting to their toes or being suffocated by weight on the chest. Very quickly they resolved to closing the guestroom door at night, but that just made the cats scratch at it. It didn’t end there, either; every time they tried to get intimate, at least one cat got between them and forced them apart.

But other than that, their week in the countryside was an experience Roy enjoyed immensely. He enjoyed the quiet, the clean air, the laid-back feeling he was not used to from city life and his life as a military man. Ed showed him the village he grew up at. The location of his childhood home, still burn to crisp, its remains standing as a monument for what had been. He told him how he and Al considered selling the property, but couldn’t bring themselves to, at least for now. He took him to visit his mother’s grave, an emotional visit in which he told him, for the first time, stories about his and Al’s childhood: how they fought all the time and their mother had to break them apart. He told him about the little gifts he and Al used to create for her, first, as children often do, by drawing or picking flowers, and then when they taught themselves alchemy, the little things they transmuted for her. He told him how she made sure to not let them feel that they were missing anything just because their father wasn’t around. How she hid her illness until it was no longer possible. They sat there for a long while and Roy listened, learning about his lover in those two hours more than he did in five years of having him as his subordinate.

It amazed him how two children – barely over the age of toddlers – managed to teach themselves something as complicated as alchemy, a science even fully educated, grown men had trouble with most times. It gave him a better insight about the teenage Elric brothers, and it explained how they could be such prodigies at the age of eleven and ten. They talked about that, too; and Ed dismissed Roy’s amazement, saying that growing up in such an isolated village they didn’t have much to do, and his abilities in alchemy were the only thing they could recall about their father, and it was their way of feeling close to the man who abandoned them and their mother. Ed had confided in him that now, when they were older and wiser, he and Al had realized that them using alchemy to impress her must have hurt their mother, rather than made her happy, as it was a constant reminder of the man who had left her. Roy tried to tell him that even if it made her remember Hohenheim, it also made her happy to see how much her children cared about her. Edward agreed with him, but it was in such a tone he wasn’t sure he honestly did – but he did not pressure him anymore about it.

Other than telling him about his childhood, Edward also took it upon himself to fix what he called a ‘horrible error’, and taught Roy how to ride a horse. It took Roy a while to grasp the idea of it, but by the fourth day he managed to get on Eve and ride without her throwing him off her back. And when that happened, Roy found that he actually enjoyed it. It still hurt his behind – and some other important parts of him – but he got used to that, too.

When the week had passed, and the (not so) newly wed couple returned, Roy found that he was actually sad to leave the next morning. It was a blissful break from the city life; but even though he knew he was going to miss it, he did miss  _ home _ , where he had his comfortable king-sized bed and no chickens to wake him up at the crack of dawn. He was not surprised when Ed said he would stay a few more days: after all, it was his brother’s house. A part of Roy wanted to stay with him, but other than missing home, he did have to go back to work, and he thought that as much as he loved spending time with Ed, it would be good for the brothers to spend some time together at their childhood town – just the two of them and Winry, who, for Ed, was more or less like a sister too.

So he woke up early the next day, said his goodbyes and left. Alphonse and Winry were thankful for him staying at their place and keeping an eye on it and on the animals that lived there; he in his turn thanked them for allowing him and Ed to stay at their home. The cats, having gotten used to him over the course of the week, accompanied him to the door and meowed at him. Roy, being mostly a dog person, had to admit that he did not like them at first; but had grown to like them too. He still preferred a dog, but the cats were alright; most of the time, anyway. He bid his farewell to them too and left with Ed coming with him to ride with him to the train station. Ed promised, before the train arrived, that he will only take a few more days before he joined him; and Roy said that it was perfectly alright and Ed could take as long as he wanted. Ed’s reply was that he intended to stay just lost enough to get Roy to miss him again, and, when the train arrived, parted with him with a kiss that Roy couldn’t stop thinking about throughout the entire ride back to Central City.

He was back at work, which was busy as ever especially with almost two weeks’ worth of work piling up, and that kept him busy enough. But as the second week without Ed rolled by he had already started missing him, and phone calls were not enough anymore. So when he spoke to him one night he casually asked when he thought he might come back home. Ed laughed softly and asked him if he misses him, to which Roy answered truthfully; and so he promised to be on the train home within a day or two.

Roy was surprised at himself for just how much he’d missed him. It’s been seven months since they officially started dating, after months of meeting casually, as friends, and more often than not finding themselves in each other’s arms when the night ended. They haven’t even officially moved in together yet, even though when Ed was in the city he spent more nights at Roy’s place than in his own apartment. Roy knew he’d miss him if he stayed long in Resenbool: but he did not think it’d affect him so much after only two weeks.

Maybe it was the fact that they spent a whole week together with no one but each other for company. While in Central even though the nights were usually spent together, during the days they both had their own things to do. Roy’s work kept him at the office for long hours; Ed had his library job and school. But at Resenbool there was no work, and no school. Just the two of them and some farm animals.

And Roy realized, sitting alone in his comfortable Central City home, that once Ed came back, he did not want him to leave. He wanted to have him in his arms, in his bed, every single night without him going back to another place, be it just to bring a change of clothes or to pretend there’s a reason he keeps paying for a place of his own.

When Ed called him to tell him that he was going to take the train back to Central the following morning Roy had already made his decision that he was going to ask Ed to move in with him. It felt like something that should be done in person, and so, Roy held himself back in that conversation and forced himself to wait with the question until Ed was in his arms again.

The following day Roy was anxious. He had a feeling that Ed would say yes; but a part of him was still nervous. What if Ed didn’t miss him as much? What if even though he enjoyed spending time with Roy, he enjoyed his alone time, too? After all, Ed was a free soul; independent, and it was a part of the reason Roy had loved him as much as he did. But it could also mean that he might prefer to keep his own place. And if Roy asked, and Ed wanted to say no – would that make things awkward between them? Roy could only hope that he wouldn’t have to find out.

He was glad when the work day had finally ended. His team noticed something was off about him (apparently, over a decade of honing his masks wasn’t enough against his loyal subordinates) and he was happy to escape their questioning – especially from Hawkeye, who, being her sharp self, came awfully close to guessing the right reason for his nervousness.

Roy spent that evening anxious at home, too. He wasn’t sure exactly when Ed’s train would arrive, and he didn’t want to pressure him after spending so long away from his apartment too, so he busied himself with making dinner. The sound of his door bell ringing surprised him as he was placing the reheated soup from the night before on the table.

He felt his insides tie in a knot; he was excited and nervous all at the same time: he wanted to run to the door and see Ed, as it could only be him, and kiss him and wrap him in his arms, but at the same time he dreaded it. The need to see Ed won, though, and Roy left his soup on the dining table and made his way to the door.

On its other side was Ed – looking tired from the journey, but just as gorgeous as always, especially with the big grin that spread on his face as soon as Roy opened the door. A day’s stubble decorated his chin, and his hair looked messy, probably from the horse ride to the station and then spending hours leaning against the back of the train seat. But Roy didn’t care about any of those.

Roy didn’t bother with verbal greeting; he took Ed in his arms and gave him a kiss, which Ed seemed to be just as eager to return. But a sudden sound – a strangely familiar meowing of a cat – broke them apart. Roy looked at Ed in puzzlement, but the sheepish look on his face made Roy’s eyebrow arch up and he looked down where besides Ed’s luggage he saw one extra box.

A traveling cage. Of an animal.

He heard another meow that definitely came from the cage, and looked up at Ed again.

“Is that a cat?” Roy asked. He knew it was a redundant question, but the idea was so unthinkable he must have been imagining. This definitely wasn’t what he imagined would be his reunion with Ed.

Ed smiled sheepishly at him. “It’s… uh…Yes,” he looked at the cage nervously, and then back at Roy. “Can I come in? I’ll explain.”

How Roy could say no to that, when all he wished for was for Ed to be in his home permanently? He moved from the door and let Ed walk inside, and then closed the door behind them.

He then turned back to look at Ed, who’d placed the cage and his belongings on the floor before looking up.

“Well?”

“Yeah… so… uhm. Right,” Ed said, which only made Roy’s eyebrow arch higher. He somehow had a feeling he knew the story, but he still preferred to let Ed tell him. “So I was leaving Al’s house and you know how all the cats didn’t want to let you leave when you left?”

Roy nodded. So far, the story was heading in the direction he suspected.

" Well… they did the same when I was trying to leave, too. So Al was all like, they really like you… and then Winry said that maybe having five cats was a bit too much… especially since they’re thinking about having a kid. Were you there when they told me? Nevermind, anyway… so, uh, Al was like, why don’t you get one for you and for Roy… I thought it was ridiculous at first. I know you like dogs, and they were annoying little shits, I mean, they didn’t even let me  _ sleep… _ So I said no, but then this little fellow,” he bent over to the cage, opened it, and took the kitten out of it. Roy recognized her: she was the small tricolor one who took a special liking to him. She meowed as Ed held her, only calming when he cradled her with one hand and pet her head with the other. “Just came over and started climbing my leg. And I don’t know, I kept thinking about all the hours they were just cuddling with us, and I think Miss Buttons was also the one that always climbed onto the bed and fell asleep on your stomach?” he paused to look at Roy, who nodded. His eyes kept moving to look at the little kitten who was now very loudly purring in Ed’s arms. “She did the same to me, after you left, and… well… I guess I just thought… why not? And I know we don’t even live together but I was also thinking why is that because I  _ do _ basically live here, and I love being with you, and I love you, and being with you the whole week was just the best thing ever and I missed you like crazy when you left. Anyway so I thought maybe we should just move in together and then I had Miss Buttons who refused to let me put her back on the floor and Al was saying that – “

Roy could barely hold the happiness that spread in his body while Ed spoke, and he found himself putting an end to his rumbling when he put his hand on his back and pulled him in for a kiss. He felt the fluffy warmth of the kitten between his and Ed’s body. Whatever Al had said faded into that kiss, and Roy wasn’t sure he cared. Ed was  _ here _ , in his home, after two weeks apart, and he was saying exactly what Roy had been thinking and worrying about for days.

He broke the kiss when he felt Miss Buttons’ nails digging into his sweater like tiny needles. He laughed softly and rested his forehead against Ed’s, and moved his hand from Ed’s back to pet the little kitten’s head. His smile broadened when he was rewarded with licks of a tiny tongue.

“I missed you so much, Ed,” he said.

“You’re not mad, then?”

The mere fact that Ed felt the need to ask that pinched at Roy’s heart. He kissed Ed’s forehead and then looked at him. Ed’s eyes, big and golden, were looking at him with a concerned glint.

“No, of course not. I actually wanted to ask you the very same thing.”

“If I wanted to adopt a cat with you?” Ed’s tone was doubtful, and the quested made Roy chuckle.

“No, not that. You moving in here, with me.” He brought his other hand up to comb through Ed’s hair. “I don’t want to always think about the next time you will go to your place. I don’t want to think about this house as  _ my _ house. I want to know that every evening I am coming back to you,” he smiled softly. “I want to have all your books and clothes in here. I was…” he chuckled again, feeling silly. “I was actually worried about asking you if you wanted to move in with me. And here you are, showing up at my doorstep and telling me you want to live here with me… and you bring a pet with you, too.”

Ed smirked at him. Roy could tell that he was much less nervous now, that Roy told him that he wanted them to live together too. The stress disappeared from his shoulders and his smile was calmer, purer. “I suppose letting me handle Al and his cats on my own wasn’t so smart, after all,” he glanced at Miss Buttons. “He tried to trick me into taking two of them. It’s lucky I managed to keep it at one.”

Roy stared at him. “ _ Two _ ?”

“Well, he said that Miss Buttons might get lonely…”

Roy shook his head. “Your brother is unbelievable, you know that, right?”

“Oh, trust me,” Ed snorted. “I lived with him for the past twenty something years. I  _ know _ . He’s a manipulative bastard.” He paused, and then his smirk wore a twist. “He’s even worse than you.”

Roy narrowed his eyes at him. “Be careful there or I might change my mind about you and Miss Buttons moving in.”

“Huh! As if,” Ed said, and, as the kitten was starting to climb on his shoulder, he grabbed her and placed her on the floor. “You just said that being without me was too hard for you. Besides, you know you’re my favorite bastard,” now free of kittens, he placed a kiss on Roy’s lips. “And admit it. You do love her, too.”

Roy looked at the direction Ed was looking, just in time to see the cat climbing on his sofa. Using its claws. She left very distinctive little holes in the leather; but he found that looking at her wrecking his perfectly calm home was filling his heart with warmth. He sighed. “Yes, I suppose I do. But we’re going to have to find a way to make her not ruin every single piece of furniture I own.”

“We can work on that,” Ed said with a smile. “Al said that you can train them not to, if you’re just being consistent enough.”

“I hope so,” Roy replied. “And we’re going to have to rename her, too.”

Ed laughed. “Oh, definitely. I already told Al that there’s no way we’re going to own a cat named Miss Buttons. It’s horrid. But you know, I’m exhausted. Mind if I eat and shower and we talk about it tomorrow?”

Roy smiled at him softly. “Of course. I just heated up some soup.”

Ed’s eyes lit up and he walked towards the dining table. “Soup sounds great.”

Roy walked over to the kitchen and grabbed another bowl of soup and gave it to Ed, before sitting down to eat his own.


End file.
